Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Need Health Benefits? Your Life and Your Family's Will Depend on Them!

In the past 6 years, health benefits have evaporated for millions more Americans, bringing the estimated total without health benefits to nearly 46 million. You and I know people who need medical care, dental care, emotional care, but are delayed, put off, and denied simply for being uninsured. Too many stories of people in ambulances shuttled from one hospital to another hospital simply for lacking a health plan. I know of several people like this--one woman has been to the emergency room for a foot injury, only to be given a few kind words, examined, given a pain prescription she cannot afford, and referred to a doctor she calls during the week--only to be told that if she has the magic several-hundred-dollar fee payable at the time of service, can she receive treatment. She cannot sleep at night, she hobbles on her foot in grimacing pain--all because she is not in the elite who have good jobs that provide benefits. It only takes one medical crisis to wreck affluent families. For families that are in poverty, forget it! They won't get good care. In the case of the woman I mentioned, she went to a county's community medical clinic--only to be told she has to wait 4 months!!!! Don't people care about others in need, in pain, or have people become a nuisance, a bother, and a liablity? The decision-makers who arbitrarily decide who qualify for services obviously have not had medical crises themselves. And If they have, shame on them for being hippocritcal. I am not a physician, but does not the first rule in the Hippocratic Oath state "First, do no harm"? If we cannot get treatment, are the doctors promoting harm and further injury? Our government is looking the other way--saying it's not their problem. What happens if it it was your child, your husband, your boyfriend, your significant other--and you witnessed first-hand their denial of service--you would hurt inside and angst for them. My friend is one example--you can fill in all the other examples with other people. Something needs to be done--and not take forever to get reformed. The problem is, managed care is big business. Your coverage or lack-of--is decided by people who never stepped foot on a medical university--you are a business decision--never mind how sick you may be. They don't care about YOU--they care about getting their money. They have executives to pay, staff to keep on their payrolls--your medical problems are a big risk to their success. They won't care about your outcome--if they can prevent payment, or paying at all--they gladly will do it. It's their job to find the right excuse/justification/reason you don't qualify for care--even if you are able to pay high co-pays and monthly premiums. And the U.S. Congress refuses to help us--they can send billions to every other country, yet strip every dollar needed to help the poor and destitute in need of medical care. What does it matter to them? They are filthy-rich--and they don't care about us anyway. As long as they put up a fake appearance of caring, and hide the votes that they don't care to fund medical care for the millions who need it. Why is it necessary to do this? The poorest among us cannot function healthfully or safely without antibiotics; the illnesses they can get can cause great harm. For example, drug-resistant tuberculosis is prevalent within the homeless population. What about the poorest children who cannot get routine immunizations. Why did Iowa have over 240 cases of Mumps this year, when in years' past, only 5 cases average annually? Please don't tell me money is the reason we cannot care--if we are the richest country on the earth, then we have the ample resources to keep all our own people safe--it's called "taxpayer dollars" that need to be used on our own. If we can funnel billions of dollars to every other country, then we can take care of citizens here too. There is absolutely no excuse for this happening. Before you criticize this posting-be careful--it only takes ONE medical crisis or job loss to put YOU in the same boat as the 46 million. We don't need a band-aid solution--we need surgery on the whole system--and it's in critical condition.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You said a mouthful! Sadly, even those WITH insurance do not get good care. If it's the insurance companies deciding what your care should be, then you can't make the decisions! I'd be interested to know what percentage of employees of Big Insurance have no coverage. Would be an interesting finding, for sure.

I agree we'd be better served here in the US with less military spending and more health care spending. Our whole system needs rebuilt!

mrcomplete said...

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Anonymous said...

Hello, i just wanted to make a comment about Health Benefits here. My company is making a positive change in affordable health care today. We are a "Consumer Driven Health care" company. We are in business to help people save up to 80% on all related health and medical related cost. We even help people with "Insurance" save even more that the insurance would cover. Ev en more my company covers Cosmetic surgery and many more procedures that today's insurance would NOT cover. We are helping many people in many ways, to muchg to list here. We are helping people save 50% and more on all prescriptions. Anyway, if i can help anyone who reads this blog in any way please call me at 877.884.3781 toll free you can look at what we are doing here http://www.cristinandwendys.onesimplecard.com We are here to help